A Maryland woman, Maureen Wilson, 77, has been convicted for her role in a long-running insurance fraud and money laundering scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. The elaborate scheme, which spanned from 1996 to 2021, involved Wilson and her husband, James Wilson.
Court documents reveal that the Wilsons conspired to defraud insurance companies by taking out more than 40 life insurance policies for various applicants. These applicants’ health, financial status, and existing insurance coverage were misrepresented to the insurance providers. The total benefits paid out from these fraudulent policies amounted to over $20 million.
In addition to the life insurance fraud, Wilson also engaged in schemes to defraud investors, using the ill-gotten gains to pay premiums on the fraudulent policies. Using forged signatures, the Wilsons made themselves and others the owners and beneficiaries of the policies. Court documents also indicate that Maureen Wilson impersonated other individuals when communicating with the life insurance companies.
To conceal their fraudulent activities, the couple transferred the illicit funds through multiple bank accounts. Furthermore, Maureen Wilson filed false income tax returns in 2018 and 2019, omitting the approximately $5.7 million and $2 million they gained through the fraud.
Maureen Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20. Her husband, James Wilson, was also charged in the scheme and was found guilty in January 2025. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2025.
Recent Fraud Cases in Maryland
This case is one of several recent instances of fraud in Maryland.
In early March, Tasha Saunders, 44, of Parkville, pleaded guilty to stealing over $3.6 million in a Medicaid fraud scheme. Saunders admitted to operating two behavioral health companies that submitted fraudulent claims for psychiatric rehabilitation services between 2019 and 2024. She was found to have forged signatures, created fake patient records, and stolen the identities of healthcare providers and Medicaid recipients. This was Saunders’ second conviction for Medicaid fraud, having pleaded guilty to similar schemes in 2021.
Also in March, a Baltimore County man, Obinna Warrior of Milford Mill, was sentenced to over three years in prison for his involvement in several fraud schemes. Court records show that Warrior acted as an unlicensed money transmitter for romance, business, email, and investment schemes.
